a job you enjoy vs a job that pays a lot?

[kamikazekyle]

I'd probably take the less stressful job in all cases, even if it meant I could retire earlier by taking the more stressful job. Right now I have a bit of both. The job I'm in is so laid back it isn't funny, and I get paid decently above average for the area. I get 6 days off in a row every 14 days (still work 80 hours every 14 days), so if I do get any stress from work then the vacation-length block of time off every other week smoothes it all away. I get more stress from home than I do from work. Sometimes I think I have more free time at work than at home, so even if I made less than I do now I'd still keep this job.

Man, when I get another job it's going to be hard going back to working 5 on, 2 off. Those 6 days of time off in a row really do make a HUGE difference in stress and workload perception levels.

 

[jlee]

This thread is depressing. "Only $100k" for a job you love?

I love a job in an area without an astronomical cost of living, so $100k is pretty much $60k extra...works for me.

 

[hiromizu]

a job that pays a lot is a job I'd love LOL

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Why would you want to put off happiness until you are old and can't enjoy?

I'd say choose the job with good pay that you enjoy over the job with excellent pay that you hate.

And also, what he wrote above. My wife and I could save and retire early, but we prefer to enjoy life along the way. And this is from someone who only feels a big fat "meh" towards his current job.

 

[Exterous]

It really depends on a lot of things, actual rates of pay, commute, benefits, how much I hated or disliked it vs love of the other job, time commitments etc

If I really hated the job - no way. I've had a job I hated and never again if I can avoid it. It made everything worse - I was frothing at the mouth angry when driving, down when hanging out with friends and my wife and I fought more. Even if I got the increase of money I would probably die of a heart attack before I could enjoy an earlier retirement

 

[Hardcore]

Being practical, I'd take the high-paying, boring job.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Being practical, I'd take the high-paying, boring job.

I suppose if the job is high paying but just boring (with little or no stress), I might take it over a lower-paying job that I enjoy. Stress is the key here for me -- not worth taking a higher-paying job if you're working 50% more hours and always stressed, IMO.

 

[shortylickens]

Being practical, I'd take the high-paying, boring job.

And in this economy that would normally make sense.

But if a job is downright miserable, makes you hate life, then you will find quite soon no amount of money can balance that out.
Just plain boring, I would suck it up for years before looking elsewhere.

 

[iGas]

I suppose if the job is high paying but just boring (with little or no stress), I might take it over a lower-paying job that I enjoy. Stress is the key here for me -- not worth taking a higher-paying job if you're working 50% more hours and always stressed, IMO.

I'm having trouble deciding what I want to do with my career.

Currently, I have a job (could be for life) that pay well (2X the median income) with lots of benefits as well as great working environment and people, but the work pace is a bit slow for my liking. On the other hand, there are opportunities that I'm qualify for at making 2X my current wage but they are in extreme climate working condition.

I'm on the fence.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I'm having trouble deciding what I want to do with my career.

That makes two of us.

Currently, I have a job (could be for life) that pay well (2X the median income) with lots of benefits as well as great working environment and people, but the work pace is a bit slow for my liking. On the other hand, there are opportunities that I'm qualify for at making 2X my current wage but they are in extreme climate working condition.

I'm on the fence.

This describes my situation nearly perfectly. I could make significantly more money as a Sharepoint consultant, but the hours and stress would be much more than my current job. Plus, with the incredible benefits and perks I currently have, much of the salary increase would be negated.

As it stands, my stress level at my current job usually skyrockets during the summer months (May to early September), which is my busy season. When fall rolls around, I have some projects to do early (this fall is a little atypical in that I have 2 HUGE projects to do) but then it really slows down into more of an operational role. In the spring, it is purely an operational role and due to change freezes, nothing new can really be implemented between early March and late April.

At any rate, there is a new PM position open in my current company that I will probably apply for next week. I think it is one of those situations where they already have someone picked and this is a formality, but I'm going to apply anyway because I have more qualifications than the person I think they've picked and I want to see them try to explain not picking me.

EDIT: Not to mention the stability of my current job. It is highly unlikely that I would ever be laid off at my current company; I won't find that stability anywhere else and especially not in consulting.

 

[FoBoT]

why bother working anymore, just hang out

 

[iGas]

That makes two of us.



This describes my situation nearly perfectly. I could make significantly more money as a Sharepoint consultant, but the hours and stress would be much more than my current job. Plus, with the incredible benefits and perks I currently have, much of the salary increase would be negated.

As it stands, my stress level at my current job usually skyrockets during the summer months (May to early September), which is my busy season. When fall rolls around, I have some projects to do early (this fall is a little atypical in that I have 2 HUGE projects to do) but then it really slows down into more of an operational role. In the spring, it is purely an operational role and due to change freezes, nothing new can really be implemented between early March and late April.

At any rate, there is a new PM position open in my current company that I will probably apply for next week. I think it is one of those situations where they already have someone picked and this is a formality, but I'm going to apply anyway because I have more qualifications than the person I think they've picked and I want to see them try to explain not picking me.

EDIT: Not to mention the stability of my current job. It is highly unlikely that I would ever be laid off at my current company; I won't find that stability anywhere else and especially not in consulting.

It is worth a try and good luck.

Starting this Monday my company will be looking for 600 new employees and an additional 800 more in the 4th quarter of 2012. And, there are many IT/manager positions that I'm qualify for that pay roughly 10K more, but don't want to go back to a desk job and office politics.

I have friends that are calling me to apply for jobs in their companies that have great compensation packages (good benefits and up to 3X my current wage), but I have to relocate and most of my family and friends live here.

 

[PrinceofWands]

Since I don't ever enjoy jobs (inherent in the definition for me), that doesn't really figure in. However, since I don't care about money, neither does that really. I only worry about money when all other considerations are met.

Assuming all other aspects were equal I'd take the one I enjoyed more over one that merely paid more...unless it paid so much more that I could retire in a year or something.

 

[Engineer]

why bother working anymore, just hang out

Many people don't have a choice.

14+ million unemployed. 3 million available jobs.

Those receiving unemployment benefits down to 48% from 75% in the Spring as the benefits expire. I wonder how crime will be with benefits running out?

Just keep shipping decent paying, wealth creating (i.e. making stuff) jobs out and this is what you get. Ross Perot is give a big ole "I told you fucking so" right now.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Since I don't ever enjoy jobs (inherent in the definition for me), that doesn't really figure in.

I have to agree here. While I understand wanting to enjoy what you do for a living, I've never loved a single job that I have had enough to want to work 80 hours a week consistently. I've worked long hours before but it wasn't because I enjoyed doing it -- I had no other choice (or so I thought) at the time. I don't understand people who claim they love their jobs so much that they'll willingly work those hours. I guess I've never understood the concept of a "career"; to me, my job is something I have to do in order to make money so I can afford to do the things I REALLY enjoy.

 

[brianmanahan]

i ended up picking the job that i dont like as much because it pays quite a bit more (for me anyway). trying to save away as much as i can and even though i dont like it, maybe this one will let me retire a few years earlier.

 

[DigDog]

well, you gotta get enjoyment somewhere. so, a job that pays well allow you to enjoy yourself outside of work.

point is, in the end what you want is to both make more, and make it doing what you love because it's been proven*, you will excel only at what you love.

taking a high pay job so you can use the extra money to build a career around what you love is the reason why i voted "moar moneys"; i mean come on, more money is always the best choice. if job A pays enough for food and rent (not too uncommon of a condition), and jb B pays job, rent and an extra 20k in the bank each year .. duh.

Job B takes care off all the stuff that could and will happen outside of work. Even if you have the best job ever (mattress tester), when you get a 50k medical bill ... you'll wish you had the better pay.


*by me

 

[Matthiasa]

i ended up picking the job that i dont like as much because it pays quite a bit more (for me anyway). trying to save away as much as i can and even though i dont like it, maybe this one will let me retire a few years earlier.

Funny thing about that... you will retire at exactly the same time since you will have become use to the extra things that you can get when making more. To retire early means potentially going without what you have grown accustom to.

 

[brianmanahan]

Funny thing about that... you will retire at exactly the same time since you will have become use to the extra things that you can get when making more. To retire early means potentially going without what you have grown accustom to.

thats why i save %60 of my income, so i get used to not living with much. but the last couple of months i have been spending more so im thinking i should probably cut back

 

[sonambulo]

Make less, enjoy your goddamn life. You only get one shot at it.

 

[silverpig]

Up to a certain level, more money is very important. Once all the bills are paid, there's food on the table, and I can save a little to have a vacation and put some away for retirement, other things start to become more important.

$60k and boring beats $30k and fun any day.

$200k and fun beats $300k and boring any day.

 

[AreaCode707]

First one, then the other. I have worked my ass off for the last ten years, so that I can achieve a few of the things I want in life (particularly being able to live where I want) and THEN take a job I love.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

As long as the enjoyment takes care of necessities, keeps me out of debt & stuff, I'd be satisfied. But more, the better.

I really haven't enjoyed this job at all. I enjoyed all other IT jobs before this, but I haven't found enjoyment in anything remotely related in a long time.

I always look forward to the time I can spend working on my Youtube stuff that I thoroughly enjoy.
I just regret not taking initiative & getting into it back when I met this guy in school, who's making a living doing nothing but playing games & putting it on YT now. He used to talk to me, but we haven't spoke in well over a year, now he's all big shot, 500K subscribers & one of the top Machinima directors.
If would have been on it back then, probably wouldn't have ended up in psych ward, jail & homeless last year.
Didn't begin finding answers on the stuff until later last year when was homeless...

 

[sjwaste]

Past a certain point, the one that makes you happy. I just took a little bit of a paycut to leave a job that made me miserable for one that I'm really happy at. Yeah I do think about the money I left on the table, but at the same time, I don't dread going to work and maybe in the long run some of the fringe benefits make up for it. If I stick around long enough, my kids can go to college at a very reduced price, or my wife can go get her PhD.